To not get the panic about Corona Virus?

[speakout]

I am not getting it- can someone explain?

Less than 1000- people infected, 26 dead. Why the hype?
I understand a few pharma companies making anti virals have made a stack of money in the past week.
In global health terms these stats are insignificant surely.
Why all the headlines?
I suspect we have many pathogens jumping species barriers on a regular basis, most probably fade away and don' t make headlines.

Can someone explain.

And there goes the validity of my travel insurance now the FCO has advised against non essential travel!

With apologies for the utter self centred ness of the above posts

You might be OK if you booked before the FCO advice. With checking with your insurance.

Oh what I meant was the cover would not be valid if I travel to China / any other country where FCO advise against travel. So if I travelled to such a country and my bag got stolen or I broke my leg, I would have no insurance cover even though totally unrelated to the FCO advice

@Aridane But why would you remotely WANT to go when the FCO advise against travel? If you catch something and end up in intensive care, your insurance would have to fork out thousands. People doing that put all our premiums up. Not to mention that it puts strain on health services desperately trying to cope with their own ill population.

No-one Plans to get ill abroad, but that doesn't mean that you won't.

@Aridane you are not travelling until April. A lot can happen between now and then.

However I also don’t understand why you would want to travel against FO advice.

Well, then don’t travel then. I thought you were worried about recovering the cost of the tickets.

If you do travel against advice then a lost bad would be the least of your worries.

Bag

@SirChing

Wouldn’t cost insurers ANYTHING as there is no cover for incidents in locations where the FCO advises against travel.

Irrespective of whether coronavirus related) ((the reason the FCO advise against travel) or totally unrelated (eg theft of luggage orappendicitis)

@Scarlettpixie

Yes a lot can happen before April, I agree - whether stabilisation or the WHO declaring a pandemic

Generally when I travel to places where the FCO have advised against travel - eg Iran (pre assassination of their no 2) / I have purchased travel insurance which provides cover for non FCO related reasons (the appendicitis example).

Anyhow, I have derailed this thread with my ‘me, me, me’ approach - apologies.

Watch and wait

Because we have some sort of “killer” virus every couple of years or so .
Keeps us on our toes and keeps the big Pharma in cash

^This.

It appears to have got worse overnight:

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/30/coronavirus-deaths-leap-in-china-as-countries-struggle-to-evacuate-citizens?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Oh no :(

I think by way of perspective it's worth noting that the World Health Organisation has not (yet) declared the outbreak of novel coronavirus (as opposed to the 'regular' types of coronavirus that have been knocking around for years) as Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) – which the press colloquially refer to as a pandemic.

In fact there have only been five PHEIC declarations - the 2009 H1N1 (or swine flu) pandemic, the 2014 polio declaration, the 2014 outbreak of Ebola in Western Africa, the 2015–16 Zika virus epidemic and, as of 17 July 2019, and (somewhat reluctantly) the Kivu Ebola epidemic.

For me the most tragic one was the polio outbreak in Pakistan & Afghanistan given that this was entirely preventable and a disease regarded as pretty much eradicated. Such a shame about the way this came about. Not just the anti vaxxers conspiracists but the way the US (CIA) and local health officials in Pakistan contributed to it by staging a fake vaccination campaign in at attempt to confirm Osama bind Laden's location in Abbottabad. Shame on them.

HOWEVER

Let’s see what today’s WHO meeting brings

And I guess China being a dictatorship helps with containment

So mortality rate Corona virus so far is 1.7%.

Seasonal UK flu has a mortality rate of around 3.7 to 7.0% depending on the strain.

170 deaths, 133 recovered, all other confirmed cases are still sick. We don't know the death rate yet - it's too early.

80 people die each day in the U.K. of flu and pneumonia. Romania and one other country, we have the highest death rates from pneumonia in Europe. (Cannot remember now whether I posted these stats on this thread or another coronavirus thread).

As others have said, the current mortality rate is no worse than seasonal flu. It’s just the media reporting (practically live updating!) every case and death which makes it seem more scary. There are probably far more cases that are completely asymptomatic or mild and aren’t being recorded too making the mortality rate even lower.

This is something that would send my panic attacks to a new level if I allowed myself to focus on it.
My youngest child contracted swine flu as a baby of just six weeks old.
He has Down's Syndrome, so already had health issues.
Six weeks in intensive care on life support in an induced coma.
We very nearly lost him twice.
He's now a healthy nine year old, but I will never forget that terrifying time.
I have to focus very hard now not to go into panic mode, but so far I'm doing OK.

The World Health Organisation is meeting today to decide whether to declare a global health emergency. There definitely no need to panic but it isn't nothing. Those of us with relatives with immunity issues or lung disease are understandably worried.

I lt is more than they have let on. They can not let society fall so they do have to minimise it a bit.

Who is ‘they’?

Whoever knows more than I do...

In 15 countries now...